Roughriders sign former No. 1 pick in CFL European draft

After a busy few days on the CFL’s free-agent market, the Saskatchewan Roughriders went global with a signing Friday.

The Roughriders announced the signing of defensive lineman Valentin Gnahoua, a 28-year-old product of Le Mans, France.

The 6-foot-2, 235-pounder was selected by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats with the first overall pick in the 2019 CFL European draft and spent three seasons with them.

Gnahoua appeared in 38 games with the Tiger-Cats, recording one defensive tackle, 11 special-teams stops, one forced fumble and one blocked punt. He previously played two seasons with the Berlin Rebels of the German Football League, recording 47 tackles and nine sacks in 13 games.

Gnahoua spent the 2016 season at McGill University, registering 24 tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack and one fumble recovery in nine games.